


Las Mañanitas

by MsChupacabra



Category: Generator Rex
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Drabble, Gen, Generator Rex Anniversary, Minific
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:40:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23834743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsChupacabra/pseuds/MsChupacabra
Summary: Providence wishes Rex a good morning.
Relationships: Gen - Relationship
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	Las Mañanitas

**Author's Note:**

> Minific written for the Anniversary of Generator Rex. I would never forget our boy's birthday!  
> It is a tradition in Mexico to wake your loved ones up on their birthday by singing this song to them.  
> [If you would like to investigate.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j11cQ9Lrx9Y) Personally, I like it best when [Pedro Infante](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TaL-pX7pPY) sings it, but the version in the first link I provided sounds more platonic and gender neutral. 
> 
> Enjoy! Happy Generator Rex Day!

_"This is the morning song that King David used to sing. Because today is your birthday, I’m singing it here for you. Wake up, my dear, wake up! Look at what has already dawned...”_

The lights were abruptly switched on, making him squeeze his eyes shut tighter. He was roused from his sleep much earlier than he would have ever voluntarily risen. In annoyance, he tried to go back to sleep and blot out the sound that was irritating his ears. Rolling over onto his stomach, he yanked a pillow over his head to hide from the brightness of the room. His sleep-addled brain could barely process that he was being sung to. The lyrics were just noise to his ears; it was too much noise for the early morning. 

_“...How lovely is the morning in which I’ve come to greet you. I’ve come with joy and pleasure to congratulate you! The day that you were born, all of the flowers were born…”_

His pillow was yanked away from him, forcing him to face the day.

_“...The morning is coming now, the day is giving us its light. Get up this morning, look at what has already dawned!”_

Rex turned over once again and cracked his eyes open. Squinting, he saw his brother standing over his bedside, giving him the sunniest of smiles.

“ _Feliz cumpleaño_ s, Rex!” Caesar greeted. In his hands was a gift wrapped box, tied off with a curly red bow. Idly, he wondered if his brother had wrapped it himself. It looked so neat, and he knew that his brother was… Well, not.

“Rex?” 

Blinking dazedly, he realized he was so focused on the box that he was missing the bigger picture. He sat up in bed, rubbing at his eyes. “It’s my birthday? Already?”

Perhaps he had forgotten to keep track of the time. He seemed to have so much of it lately, now that the threat of EVOs had been eradicated. Or perhaps his birthday slipped his mind because it didn’t seem important in the face of Providence's potential termination. Lately, legal battles seemed to take the place of monster battles. Without the presence of EVOs, their organization was hardly necessary anymore. If the world’s major powers had it their way, he wouldn’t simply be jobless, but homeless too. For all intents and purposes, Providence was his home. His birthday was the last thing on his mind, and if he hadn’t remembered it, he hadn’t expected anyone else to remember it.

At his confused face, Caesar only chuckled. He reached out to ruffle his messy bed-head, asking,“Did you forget?”

“No.” Rex grumbled, swatting his hand away. “I just didn’t realize the date was so close… Guess I just had other stuff on my mind. What was that song you were singing just now? About the birds?” 

“Ah, that’s right. You would not remember. That is how Mamá and Papá used to wake us up on our birthdays. The song is called _Las Mañanitas_.”

Rex frowned guiltily, his expression turning sullen. Though he was still half-asleep, an ugly feeling stirred within him at Caesar’s explanation. Of course he couldn’t have remembered that. What was even worse was how annoyed he’d been for having been woken. His fingers clenched into his blankets. Suddenly, he felt like such an ungrateful asshole.

“Don’t look so sad, mijo. You can forget the date and you can forget the song. These things on their own are not what matter. They are only ways to express how loved someone is, and you are so loved. That is something that will never change, even if everything else does. Now, smile! The day you were born was a very special day.”

Attempting to hide his embarrassment, he rolled his eyes and snickered. He found some comfort in his brother’s words nevertheless, the statement ‘you are so loved’ echoing in his skull, tugging at his every heartstring. His grip on his blankets slackened.

“You’re so cheesy, dude...” 

“I did not say it to make you laugh, but as long as you are smiling…” Caesar shrugged and passed him the gift box. “Here. You can open it now or later if you want.” 

“It’s like you don’t even know me.” Without any hint of patience, Rex immediately tore through the wrapping paper, destroying the neat work. Lifting the lid of the box, he found a shiny orange wristwatch inside. He plucked it up and held it closer, inspecting it carefully. 

It was his favorite color too. “A watch? Thanks. I needed to get my old one replaced after I busted it.”

“It is not simply a watch,” Caesar informed, tapping a finger to the watch’s face. Rex flinched in surprise as it produced a glowing, holographic menu screen. “You can use it to make calls, browse the internet, or play games... You can even check the calendar too, so no more forgetting the date. I built it myself.”

“Caesar, this is so cool! But how much did it cost you to make? This is way too much.” With the absence of the Consortium, Providence was running out of funding after all. They were not made of money anymore, a fact White Knight constantly sniped about whenever Rex broke something. 

“Don’t worry yourself about that. It’s a gift.” He fastened it around Rex’s wrist, and then lightly tugged him out of bed by the arm. “Come, I think Doctor Holiday had the cooks prepare something special for breakfast. You can open your other presents at the table.” 

“You mean I got more than one?” He got up and followed him out the door. 

Rex had yet to change out of his pajamas, but that hardly bothered him. Wasn’t it his right to be comfortable, today of all days, anyway? Together, they walked down Providence’s halls. Many of the agents, accustomed to being awake at the break of dawn, were already starting their daily routines. Occasionally, one would stop what they were doing to wave a hand and greet him with a 'happy birthday.' He felt like a huge kid, unable to stop himself from grinning like an idiot. The scent of something warm and good wafted through headquarters, filling the air with the sweet aroma of sugar. He wondered what kind of cake they'd gotten him, it smelled almost like chocolate. 

It was as they were about to enter the mess hall, while Caesar was humming _Las Mañanitas_ under his breath, that it occured to Rex. "Hey, today is Six's birthday too." 

"Oh really? I did not know. I would have gotten him something too."

Maybe it was for the best that Caesar hadn't known then. He imagined that any gift that came from his brother would have only alarmed Six. Rex, however, couldn't believe he let the date of his mentor's birthday escape his notice. He would have totally gotten Six something, whether the man welcomed it or not. 

Pushing open the doors, Caesar led him toward the source of the warm, sugary smell. In the mess hall, all of the smaller tables had been pushed off to the far walls where they were out of the way, while the longer ones had been linked together. It was not any of his favorite foods laid out on the table that held his attention, but the people seated there, waiting for him to arrive. Rex was taken aback by the fact that they still wanted to celebrate. With everything going wrong in their lives, a party seemed stupid. As soon as he stepped foot into the room, Holiday snapped his picture of him and Caesar. Stars filled his vision from the flash of her camera, momentarily blinding him.

"Gah!" He rubbed his arm over his eyes.

“Happy Birthday, Rex!” She greeted, yanking him away from his brother. She pulled him into a tight hug. "I can't believe how fast you've grown. You're already eighteen!"

The attention he was receiving, not just from her, but everyone present to watch him get coddled and fussed over, made Rex flustered. "Doc..."

"Go stand by Six, so I can take your picture!"

Rex was ready to half heartedly complain that he wasn't even dressed properly, but was cut off by his mentor, "You might as well. If you don't let her, she'll never give up…"

Holiday ushered him over to stand by Six's chair. Patiently, he waited for her to take their picture, conscious of the fact that this wasn't just his day. It was easy to think of it as solely his. It was the day everything changed for him, the day he was found from wherever he'd been lost. The 23rd of April was more meaningful to Rex than just a symbolic birthday they had chosen for him, it was the start of his brand new life. And so, because his identity was so tied to that day, it felt like it belonged to him, but it was also Six's day too. He wasn’t sure what memories Six associated with the day. There were things about his mentor that were unknowable to Rex, and perhaps he would never know. 

“Big day.” Six commented. “Happy birthday.”

“Yeah, same to you.” He flashed a smile just as Holiday snapped their picture. Once again, he had to blink the stars out of his eyes.

"Wait, don't move yet," She said, holding out her hand in signal for him to stop. "Let me get a few more."

"Seriously Doc?" 

Unexpectedly, a new voice joined in, admonishing him teasingly. "It won't kill you to hold still for five seconds for once in your life, knucklehead."

Surprised, Rex's eyes darted over to White Knight. He still wasn't quite used to seeing the man out of his mechanized suit. It was odd hearing his voice go undistorted by a facemask. He had to crack a grin seeing him outside of his office for once.

"Hey, White. Not even you could resist cake, I see." 

"To my knowledge, Doctor Holiday wasn't in charge of making it, so I suppose it shouldn't be too bad."

"You didn't even eat the cake I made last time. How would you know?" Holiday protested.

"Word got around."

Rex laughed, taking the seat next to Six and across from White Knight. He leaned forward on his elbows, resting them against the surface of the table. "Aren't you gonna wish me a happy birthday too, boss?"

It looked like White was attempting to remain stern. It almost worked, since his face was naturally predisposed to looking grouchy, but Rex recognized the hint of a smile on his lips. 

“Sure. Happy birthday, brat.” He acknowledged gruffly, nodding his head. Despite the good humor in his eyes, he was still serious.“But I guess I can hardly call you that anymore. You’re eighteen now. Welcome to adulthood.” 

“This means I can have my first drink now, right?” 

“Not on your life.” White scoffed. “It’s bad enough we have to deal with your antics while sober.” 

“Not until you’re at least twenty-one.” Holiday agreed, walking over to the table. She was carrying a large cake, aided by Captain Calan. Just as Rex predicted, it was mostly chocolate. The strawberries decorating the top made him guess that the filling was probably some kind of jam.

“You’re letting me have cake for breakfast? Seriously?” Rex asked incredulously. 

“It’s a special occasion.” She shrugged indulgently. Carefully, she and Calan lowered the cake in front of him and began lighting the little wicks one by one. The flames of eighteen candle sticks glowed softly in front of him. 

“Alright, ready everyone? _Happy Birthday to you…_ ”

Rex looked around at the people surrounding him, overwhelmed with emotion. There was no other place he felt more loved and wanted. They always made him feel like he belonged. When the song came to a close, Rex eagerly blew out the candles, forgetting to make a wish.


End file.
